Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Survey respondents replied 2 to 1 in favor of the evenness of vowels.Click here for the original post and poll results if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Now I hate to break it to all of these people voting for even vowels, you are wrong. I know, you're in the majority, surely it is I who am mistaken, but no, it is you. I'm sure of it, and I'll explain.

I did not see any terribly compelling explanations as to why people might be more likely to perceive vowels as more "even" than "odd" (though my dad's attempted explanation after he refused to answer the question saying it was just the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard of, was that most words begin with consonants, thus the first letter, #1 of each word, an odd number, equates to a consonant-- that may work for some of you).

My friend Charles had the best explanation that I've heard for why vowels might be more odd in my mind. If you do list A-Z and 1-26, you'll quickly learn that all 5 vowels (and even Y if you count it sometimes) are odd (1A, 5E, 9I, 15O, 21U, (25Y)). Even the very rarely considered as a vowel W falls on letter 23. If you look at it from the reverse, 13 of the consonants correspond to even numbers, while 8 consonants correspond to odd numbers. And I actually don't feel quite as strongly that consonants are even as that vowels are odd. I think this is some mathematical connection I made a long time ago and never thought anything about until this experiment. Anecdotally, I feel it was primarily the people I asked where I work or otherwise in the science realm who agreed that vowels are odd.

I could also take this connection further for what it's worth. Vowels are primarily odd, round, left, and female (so we're on the same page up to a point Ruthie-- but I think females are softer and rounder, no pokey edges like a square man). I do not feel that vowels link so closely with a color, but in keeping with that whole line of reasoning, I'd choose a softer color if I were forced, definitely more yellow or pink than blue or green.

So if you want to give it another shot at explaining why you think vowels are even (and why perhaps others should be 2:1 inclined to also believe this), then by all means, let us hear it.

Thanks to all those who voted and promoted.

Oh and Charles, if you get bored and want to comment on the statistical significance of the findings, feel free.

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Kyle and Alli live and work out of their house now that they are the proud owners of a home [loan]! They have two awesome babies (code names: Hamish and Fauntleroy). They are still on a big adventure, but this one earns fewer frequent flier miles. They are still--thank the Lord!--each other's favorite.